Waltz for the Moon
by Wulf
Summary: You didn't think it was really over, did you?


Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. Reeve (c) me, Nicholas Ivanfox (c) Fox McCloud 761.

AN/Warnings: Violence, mild gore, course language. Mildest hints of yaoi.

Genre(s): Action/adventure, angst, romance.

Setting: Two years after the war with Andross. (To the dot.)

Additional AN: The beginning to the central arc, _Tremble and Spin_. Yeah, I fudged a few Krystal facts. :shrugs: Her basic personality traits remain the same. ...These fics have been in the works for a rather long time, and I've pretty much given up all hope for this account and moved on to a new one with a new writing style. The only thing I feel like continuing on this account anymore is this SFX arc, so forgive the jumps in style that are probably riddled throughout many of the fics.

And also, I have no beta. Please forgive the mistakes. I try to catch them all, but I am lazy. Thank you.

Nintendo stole my idea! I predicted Andrew would succeed the Venom throne. :P (It's mentioned on several occasions in the Violin trilogy, written way before any info came out.) Okay, I'll stop now.

x

_This is dedicated to all those who read the stories that came before, and retained enough faith/insanity/stupidity to continue reading._

x

**Waltz for the Moon**

"Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose."

--Lyndon B. Johnson

x

_Venom Air Space, former Area 6 region_

It was an ocean. An endless sea of stars, tiny pinpoints of light that gave life the courage to rise and grow from the ground of a barren world floating among them. Drifting, immense, fragile. How easily it was to bring rein down from those heavens and destroy what little existence had spawned. How easily.

Wolf leant back in his Wolfen, vinyl gloves running over the shiny interior, almost lovingly, as if embracing an estranged friend. He'd had his practice runs and training in one of the newer models, but being a creature enchanted with the past he'd refused to fly anything other than his old ship from the first Lylat War. A better fitting name for it would have been the Wolfen III, but Leon detested such a label, passing it off as a silly notion. It was a spruced up, refurbished Wolfen, and should remain as such. Wolf cared neither way.

His good eye staring out at the dark sea again, Wolf's fingertips graced the joysticks, instinct kicking in as he reflexively grabbed the controls, vinyl gloves crunching slightly. He blinked, thoughtful, realizing Leon was calling his name.

"Yes?" he asked, sounding old, worn out as he tapped the intercom button. A fuzzy image of Leon's narrow face appeared on the tiny vid-screen, his voice cutting through the momentary hiss of white noise.

"Wolf? The rest of the squadron is ready. Are you going to be okay?"

Wolf swallowed, fingers clenching on the controls. "Everything is in the green. Our ETA is one hour, seventeen minutes, if we jump the warp to Meteo. We wouldn't want to keep them waiting, would we?"

The others circled behind him, Wolf once again assuming the role of the proud and strong leader. He swore to himself long ago that he would not make the same mistakes that he did in the first war, and he intended to keep his promise. Lips curling, he hit the boost, feeling the Wolfen lurch forward with incredible strength, as if it were as eager as he to attain justice.

Leon straggled behind a moment, concerned slightly by the sheer hatred that danced across Wolf's face. It was nothing but a mission of revenge for him now, Andrew and his family's shitty resurrected empire be damned. He pursed his lips, finger tapping on the boost lever.

"Chere," Leon whispered, low enough that the radio would not pick it up and followed.

x

_Serenity Country Club, Corneria, twenty minutes from the Air Force base_

The slow song ended, a lively jaunt taking its place, prompting more people to fill up the tiled dance floor. Katt watched on, slightly miffed; she'd squeezed herself into the tightest fitting white dress within her price range and yet no one had asked her to dance yet. She swirled the wine in her goblet once again, taking a sip, reminding herself not to over do it, because god _damn_ it, _someone_ was going to ask her to dance soon enough, and she wanted to be up to par when it happened.

Katt sighed, pushing white tresses out of her eyes, watching almost listlessly as happy couples swirled around on the dance floor, glittering evening gowns and fresh tuxedos. Her ear flicked, and she looked to her left, her lips pulling into a smile as she watched Miyu approach. He looked fresh and smart in his dress tuxedo, the black against his tawny fur emphasizing his dark markings. He winked at her, extending a paw, Katt giggling faintly and slipping her tiny, white-socked paw into his.

"May I have this dance, m'lady?" Miyu asked, Katt simply nodding and asking him what took him so long. He led her into the middle of the dance floor, whereupon they allowed melody and grace to take control, swaying close and apart, always together, always in rhythm. Katt threw her head back and laughed, and Miyu caught his breath at the sight, her pink neck a beautiful and graceful curve.

Back at the hors d'oeuvre table, Fay looked on, eyes wet, gut twisting. Her face was hurting from the strain of keeping in her tears, body slumping against the table, suddenly feeling ugly, useless, a million angry thoughts racing through her mind. She'd been working up the courage to ask Miyu, straightening out her fur and picking invisible lint off her dress, before he'd left her side to talk to Katt.

_I guess I can't blame him. She is very, very beautiful. She's got curves and breasts and long hair and a gorgeous face I'll never have._

A tear worked its way out of her eye, and she turned, wiping it away.

_Goddess, I wish things were different..._

x

Bill was already slightly drunk by the time he'd worked up to the harder wines, eyes glassy behind his perpetual sunglasses. He gave himself a good scratch behind one grey floppy ear, taking in the sights and smells of the room, absorbing the merriment of everyone. He made is way around the room, tail slightly wagging, loving the feeling he got from socializing.

And the intoxication helped, too.

He spied Falco and Fox sitting at a corner table near the long refreshment counter, sitting close but not too close, Falco working on what looked like a plate of shrimp, Fox sipping a glass of wine, watching the crowd, the two occasionally exchanging glances and remarks. Bill smiled, feeling the inward surge of pride; he'd always thought of he and Fox as no less than brothers, and had always had a protective instinct for him. He'd been vehemently against the relationship at first, since he'd hated Falco's guts and didn't think anything good would come of it. However, since they'd patched things up the two had gotten closer, and although Bill didn't exactly consider Falco his friend, he could at least tolerate him now.

He stumbled over to the pair, drunkenly pushing aside a chair that crawled in his way.

"Hey, Fox, how the hell are ya?" he said happily, slapping the tod on his back, perhaps a bit too hard, as he began coughing on his drink, a good portion of it spraying across the tablecloth. Falco rolled his eyes, working on his shrimp platter. He'd always found Bill's open manner and knack for getting excessively sloshed at nearly every public function distasteful.

Fox grabbed a napkin to mop up his lips, Bill engaging with him in small talk for a few minutes until he acknowledged Falco's presence.

"Hey, man, what're you up to?"

Falco shrugged, chewing on another shrimp. "Just having the usual fun at the annual "the Andross fucker is dead" party."

Bill snickered, clapping him on the back, moving on again to mingle with other guests.

Falco looked over at Fox, who shrugged, smiling.

"That guy's an idiot, you know. He's your friend, not mine."

Fox snickered, grinning again. "I guess the important thing is that he tries."

The falcon muttered under his breath, downing the rest of his wine.

x

Fara exhaled, a shaky breath that sounded suspiciously like a sob escaping her lips as she looked up at the looming building, which suddenly felt oppressive, menacing, as though it would fall upon her any second and swallow her. She hadn't wanted to come, she really hadn't. Since the fall of her beloved father during the war, she'd had to step up and become the head of the Phoenix Inc empire as the new Spaceship Magnate. Having such power meant she really had none over her social life; it would look terrible upon her if she did not come, personal feelings be damned.

Since she'd left Star Fox and cut all ties with them, she really didn't have many friends, the closest of which was Reeve, her secretary/masseuse/bitch pillow. Fara smiled lightly, glad at least he was with her.

She looked up to the glass and lights of the posh country club, feeling ice settle in her stomach again.

Reeve noticed her pace slipping. He knew that Fara had been nervous about the ball since the beginning, but unable to escape it, her family's name signing the R.S.V.P. The panther had some idea of why; she'd been a test pilot in the early days of the war, working for Star Fox for a short time, and things had heated up between she and Fox before they got weird. Or that was at least close to what he figured. He stopped, putting a paw n Fara's shoulder, squeezing it.

"You okay?"

_No. _"Yes," the fennec replied, biting her lip.

Reeve looked her over once, snorting. "Bullshit. It's Fox McCloud, right? You worried about seeing him?"

Fara's nose twitched. "Perhaps."

_No, Reeve. I'm not concerned at all. I just left a perfectly good man to go play business woman and ended up playing around with his best friend._

Fara sighed. When had she gotten so bitter? She chaffed her upper arms, pulling her silk wrap tighter around her shoulders. They'd stopped ten yards from the club, Corneria's large moon a thin crescent in the sky, the small one trailing it, both casting subtle mellow light that caught on the freshly watered grass. Fara was so caught up in losing her thoughts in the scenery that she hadn't noticed Reeve step in front of her.

Presently, she looked up, still biting her lip.

"Don't worry, girl. You'll be okay. All the boys and girls will be jealous when they see you have the sexiest bitch at the ball. And if McCloud says anything mean to you I'll... I'll kick his ass, okay?" Reeve said, looking so serious about what he just said that Fara couldn't help but snicker. The panther was trying his very best to cheer her up, and she was grateful for his friendship, even if the pressure in her chest was building up the closer she got to the door, at least she had him to help buffer the pain.

She nodded, trying to be strong, Reeve gently taking her paw, and together, they began walking again.

x

_Imperial Base, Off Limits Bio-weapons section, Venom_

Andrew sighed, rubbing at his temples, free hand grabbing at a stray Newport package, wishing for a dry martini and a cigarette and a faster computer, his head ache intensifying when he realized he had none of them.

"Damn," he muttered, crushing the useless pack in his hand, long devoid of cigarettes. He'd suffered for so long in this place, rebuilding after his uncle died, dealing with the dust and the filth and incompetence. But he was determined to rise above it, to bring justice and dignity to his uncle's name, and to make his own far greater.

Where Andross had failed, he was determined succeed. Lylat was a messy, unkept place, and he would bring order to it.

Lost in his dark thoughts and illusions of grand authority, Andrew was unaware that someone had entered, quite oblivious until the figure was standing next to him. He cursed at his own incompetence, startled, snatching up the revolver he kept with him at all times, spinning his chair around to face the interloper.

"Andrew!" a feminine voice hissed sharply, clearly vexed at the idea of having a loaded gun pointed into her face. Andrew suddenly felt quite sheepish, clicking the safety back on, setting the heavy gun onto the control panel.

"Sorry, Krystal," he whispered, running a hand through his long, disheveled white hair, playing with the end of his ponytail. It had grown considerably longer since the end of the war, and something always came up when he remembered he'd wanted to cut it. Plus, he had heard somewhere that Krystal liked long hair.

Krystal smiled, showing him she wasn't angry, stepping closer, offering him a cup of steaming tea. He'd been high strung the last few days, everyone on base anxious for his orders of battle, which were no doubt close. The last preparations were being made, and the clock was ticking down. Andrew was running himself ragged, forgetting his health, and Krystal was eager to see him off to a good night's rest, taking it upon herself to slip a few herbs into his tea.

"What's this?" Andrew asked wearily, shoulders slumping now that there wasn't a threat. He accepted the cup gratefully, fingers warming up as soon as he grasped the hot mug. He held it close, inhaling the scent, grateful for Krystal's company, even if he very much hated distractions, especially now that things were finally falling into place...

"Cerinia magick," Krystal shrugged, smiling. Andrew blinked, swirling the hot tea around the cup for a moment.

"That's right, you're from one of Venom's moons, yeah?"

Krystal nodded, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against a wall. Cerinia was the largest of Venom's cluster of moons, so far in the Lylat outer rim that was all but forgotten about. It was habitable, but much more traditional and tribal than the rest of the system; the natives still content with living on the very basics, continuing with the Old Ways of nature worship. For several reasons, it wasn't considered a part of Lylat at all. Krystal's face scrunched slightly; she was quite devoted to her home and despised the negative image most people had of it.

A subdued silence fell between them, Andrew sipping his tea, inhaling the soothing scent, trying to define the spices.

He was suddenly very tired.

x

_Serenity Country Club, Corneria_

Fox watched the dancers on the floor, smiling, enjoying the view of friends and happy couples twirling and swaying to the symphony. Although he was a bit miffed that he wasn't able to dance with Falco, at least not without getting beat up and receiving some abysmally bad press, he knew that Falco couldn't be motivated to dance anyway, the grumpy avian already pissed off as hell at having to attend "this fucking bullshit excuse for a party." During functions like this, Falco was mildly content to sit in a corner and stuff himself with the free food until it was an appropriate time for him to leave.

The tod continued to observe the dance floor, smiling when he saw Miyu and Katt. He wasn't quite sure what the nature of their relationship was, but was happy all the same for them, and figured, considering his own personal life at the moment, he wasn't in any position to judge. His eyes moved to Bill, who was actually doing quite well for himself despite the amount of alcohol he'd consumed, stumbling only twice as he danced with a pretty girl from Intelligence. His blues wandered again, continuing to move along the crowd.

And then he noticed Fay. She was alone, standing near the hors d'oeuvre bar, looking so miserable and lonely that Fox felt his own chest hurt. Fox, Bill, and she had grown up together, all three being kids of military pilots. They'd always been friends, forming an extremely close-knit bond that had only strengthened over time. Being boys, and the two older kids, Bill and Fox had always taken it upon themselves to protect and take care of Fay, in every situation they could. Seeing her now, Fox felt the urge to run over and scoop her up into his arms, hug her tight and get her stop crying. She'd always been the shiny, happy one in the group, and had done her own to guard him and Bill, too.

Fox stood, Falco looking up him, cheeks full of shrimp. He raised an eyebrow, questioningly.

"Going to talk to Fay for a bit," was Fox's answer, and Falco shrugged, taking Fox's half-empty wine glass for his own.

x

Fay had finally gotten her emotions in check and was finishing patting her fur dry when someone touched her shoulder, startling her. She gasped, spinning around, instantly feeling embarrassed.

"Fox!"

He smiled, a wet-your-pants stud muffin grin, heat rushing through Fay's body, and she blushed before stifling a laugh, realizing that he wasn't even trying. She wanted to laugh; he'd always called her innocent, but he was just as bad. Did he even realize how many people were in love with him? Fay swallowed, returning the smile. "H-hey."

"What's up?" Fox decided to start out simply enough, not wanting to insult Fay or anger her. He knew she hated being thought of as everyone's little sister, but he couldn't help the big brother she stirred up in him, and in the end, he only wanted what was best for her.

"I'm fine. Kinda bored," Fay replied, trying to pass off the swirl of depression and angst that kept threatening to drown her.

Fox's eyes softened, seeing the lie behind her words. Since they'd grown up together, she, Bill, and himself could hide nothing from each other, and it amused and angered all three of them to no end. The vulpine decided the best course of action was to at least try and distract Fay, hoping that maybe she'd open up to him.

"Well, would you like to dance?

Fay was about answer when a terrific boom shook the world around her, paws flying up automatically to shield herself from the bits of spraying glass before her mind had even registered that the window had been shattered. She suddenly found herself on the ground, right hip throbbing painfully, not even remembering her short flight through the air and onto the dance floor. She sat up, immediate pain rushing through her, an involuntary whimper of pain hissing from her muzzle. There was a chunk of glass in her hip, and holding her breath, with shaky paws she removed it, dropping it to the floor. She grunted in pain again, pressing a paw to her hip, trying to staunch the flow of blood.

Fox was near her, coughing, confused as hell, his ears still ringing. Fighter's instincts quickly enveloped him, however, and he pushed himself off the floor and into a crouch, surveying the mess. The room was dark, the power most likely cut, the dim emergency lights on. The haze of smoke was making things even more difficult, and as far as Fox could see the giant bay windows had been blown to shit, chaos everywhere,t he party-goes confused as he, a few of them crying.

Fox jumped, reflexively covering Fay as the sounds of laser fire reached his ears, followed by more screaming. The tod quickly looked around the room, trying to find everyone.

Falco had turned a table on its side, using it for cover. Hunching over, Fox quickly made his way over, pulling Fay along with him.

"The fuck is going on?" he screamed over the din, although he knew that neither Fay or Fox had any idea either. Fay was coughing, rubbing at her hip, Fox trying to steal a glance over the rim of the table. When he saw there was no immediate threat, he tended to Fay, who hissed in pain, touching her hip gingerly, her dress had ripped, revealing red and ragged fur beneath. Fox chewed at the arm of his dress coat, grunting as he tore off the sleeve, pressing it to Fay's small hip.

"Where is everyone?" Fox asked, voice raised.

"No fucking clue," Falco replied, pulling his blaster from his grey vest, shrugging off his dress jacket. Fox did likewise, calming a little at the feel of the weight of the weapon in his paws.

There was a sudden third voice to the conversation, Falco and Fox turning to the intruder, both mildly shocked to see a brown fox, young, male. Attractive.

"Can I be of any help?" he asked again, louder this time, realizing the two could barely hear him over the screaming and occasional sounds of laser fire and shattering glass.

"I'm going to find back up. Can you take care of her?" Fox asked, gesturing towards Fay. The other vulpine nodded, making a move to crouch near her.

"Wait," Falco growled, grabbing the tod by his upper arm. A quick flash of anger swarmed over the young fox's features before he settled on acting surprised. "Who the fuck're you?"

"Nicholas Ivanfox, sir. A new recruit. Cornerian Intelligence." he answered in barely noticeable and muted English accent. Falco hesitated for a moment, looking up at Fox, not releasing his hold on Nicholas. Fox merely shrugged, his body language telling Falco that they could use all the help they could get.

Falco turned back to Nicholas. "If you're from Intelligence, then what the fuck is going on?"

Nicholas pressed his brown ears to his head, taken slightly aback by the falcon's ability to use such a curse so many times within a five minute period. He wanted to be of help, yet at the same time, he obviously couldn't lie to the man.

"I...don't know."

Falco shook his head.

_"Fuck."_

x

Miyu and Katt had both been fortunate enough to remain unscathed after the explosion, both of them finding shelter underneath the long hors d'oeuvre table. Katt had her Magnum out, never going anywhere without it, classy ballroom dancing get-togethers included. She'd had it strapped to the inside of her thigh, and had taken it out as soon as she recovered, Miyu handling his own weapon. Packing heat was just one of the charming little side-effects of surviving a war. Katt tried to slow her breathing, scan the crowd for familiar faces.

"Hey, there's Fox!" came Miyu's excited cry, Katt snapping her head to the right, to the lynx's line of vision, watching as Fox cautiously made his way to them.

"Miyu, Katt, you guys seen anyone?" Fox asked, skipping any formalities, the sense of urgency ringing in his voice.

"Peppy and Slippy were here, I think Pep moved off to the kitchen area, to see what the hell is up. Slippy went to check on people outside, and Bill left to find General Pepper. As for what's going on, I have no god damn clue."

Fox nodded, mouth set in a grim line. "Falco and Fay are alright. Fay got wounded but she'll be fine, I left her with some kid from Intelligence." Fox exhaled sharply, shifting his weight, moving away slightly.

"I'm going to go check out the back, see if I can find out what's up. You two be careful, try to take care of the wounded."

Katt bit her lip, at odds with herself. She'd seen Fara Phoenix just before the impact, and knowing it was a touchy subject with the tod, and also knowing that something bad had gone down between them, she wasn't sure if she should even bring it up. She finally reached out to stop Fox before he left.

"Fox... Fox, I saw Fara here. She's okay, though. She's... okay."

Fox blinked, a million thoughts and emotions crossing over his blues before he nodded, making his way towards the back. He'd have to deal with it soon but now was obviously not a good time.

"God speed, man," Miyu whispered, gaze turning back to the frightened crowd.

x

Fara coughed, her ears still ringing, head still spinning. Reeve had thrown them both to the ground before it happened, covering her slightly smaller body with his. Smoke seemed to be pouring from everywhere, pandemonium resonating everywhere. They'd began to settle in when the world exploded.

The fennec sat, helped up by Reeve, who was bleeding from a small gash on his forehead.

Mind still garbled, all Fara could think to say was, "You're hurt..."

Reeve seemed to be more with it than she, and shrugged, replying, "It's nothing." He helped Fara underneath a table, both deciding it would be the best cover for now, until they could figure out what the hell was going on.

Time slowed to a crawl for Fara, breath leaking out of her as she looked across the expansive room.

_Fox._

He was a little dirty, disheveled, but looked fine, as good as she remembered him, if not better in his dress slacks and green vest. Time snapped forward again when he disappeared out the large, exquisitely carved double doors, into a room in the back.

_Be safe, Fox,_ was all she could think, wishing for all the world she could be a part of the action, and not cowering underneath a table. Reeve grabbed for her paw and held it in reassurance, and Fara squeezed back, mind turning towards the present.

x

Fox had made it to one of the back rooms without much trouble, the most harrowing battle being one he'd had briefly with a chair he'd tripped over. He ran a paw across his forehead, sweat trickling down his brow, body tense, ears perked up. Blaster slightly raised, Fox skirted around a darkened corner, only to see--

Wolf O'Donnell. In the flesh. Standing in from of him. Smirking.

"Long time no see, McCloud," O'Donnell announced, Fox merely blinking, struggling to comprehend why the hell he was there, he shouldn't be, he was _dead_, _and how the fuck did he get here? Why didn't we see it..._

Fox's reverie was cut short when Wolf lunged at him, taking Fox by surprise, giving the smaller canine the advantage. Fox was on the ground in an instant, Wolf on his chest, grey paws wrapping around his throat.

"I am going to kill you," Wolf whispered, breath tickling Fox's ear. He could only stare into Wolf's lone steel brown eye, his mind only focused on the uncomfortable closeness of his sworn enemy, Wolf's musky scent invading his nostrils, his fur--

A sharp pain suddenly bit into left wrist, and Fox struggled again, surprised when Wolf was easily pushed away. He grinned again, his large canines looking especially frightening now that he had the upper paw and Fox had lost his composure. Wolf allowed himself a snicker, lip curing when someone called for him. The fun was over and things were getting hazy and Fox could feel his heartbeat speeding up, black fuzz swarming at the edge of his vision as heat engulfed him. Fox blinked, the world blurring, the vulpine barely making out Wolf as he mock-saluted him, running off.

_What did he do to me I've beendruggedgoddesshelpmeFalco..._

A scream filled his ears and the darkness overtook him.

x

_Imperial Base, Off Limits Bio-weapons section, Venom_

Andrew's cup clinked into the saucer on his lap roughly, his limbs feeling heavier as the seconds ticked by. He must've been more tired than he thought, but there was still so, so much to do. Star Wolf would be returning from Corneria soon, and he'd need the status report, work would have to begin on the newest bio-weapon now that he understood how to complete the DNA sequence... theDerringer was nearly com...pl...e...t...e and... he... wanted...

"Andrew? You alright?" Krystal asked, pressing a paw to the young ape's sweaty forehead, worried that the herbs may have been too strong for him. Andrew's face was hot, eyelids drooping, leaning heavily into Krystal's touch. His breathing had gotten heavier, but he would be fine, and the full night's rest would do him good. Krystal smiled slightly, scooping his frail body into her arms easily.

"Krystal..." Andrew rasped, laying his head on her shoulder. He was dimly aware that she was carrying him down a dark corridor, probably off to his bed chamber, but everything else was gone, lost to childish fantasy. Lylat would bow to him, and his uncle would be avenged.

"Yes Andrew?"

"I'm going to wipe the filth clean.."

x

_Serenity Country Club, Corneria_

The world hazed before him in swirls of color for a moment before clearing, Fay and Falco looking anxiously down at him, before being joined by Bill and Katt.

"Welcome back," Falco said, the relief apparent on his face. Fox struggled into a sitting position, feeling everything spin again. Fay moved to sit next to him, rubbing his back gently.

"What happened?" she asked, voice soft. Fox squeezed her paw, alleviated to see that her wound had been properly taken care of.

"I have no clue. I saw... I saw Wolf here. We fought. I guess I lost," Fox licked his lips, suddenly realizing how dry they were. "Anyway, what the hell is going on here?"

"Not sure," Falco returned, standing, he and Fay both helping Fox up. "From what we can gather, Wolf and a few of his buddies decided to have a little fun with us."

"But why would they just leave? Wouldn't they try to kill you or Fox or someone?" Fay asked.

Before anyone could answer, Miyu came running up, followed closely by Slippy and Peppy.

"Hey..." he said panting, trying to catch his breath. His face was grin, eyes wide. "Guys, it's worse than we thought. It's not just going to be an isolated incident. They actually had a purpose, other than scaring the shit out of everyone."

"What?" Katt asked, a mere gasp of disbelief.

"Venom has once again declared war on Lylat," Peppy stated, Miyu stepping away to comfort Katt.

Fox wasn't ready when the wave hit him, he felt himself drowning almost immediately, paw grabbing at Falco's sleeve, trying to pull his head above water.

_Everything we've fought for... My Father, and my Mother... Everyone who died..._

"Goddess help us," Slippy whispered softly, and no one could think of a thing to add to that.


End file.
